Phoenix
by kaylakat2009
Summary: Ranger and Stephanie realize some things. She gets a big surprise when Ranger comes back from a mission that changes her. What happens next? Bobby and Steph pairing. Rated T for now. Read warning on ch. 6.
1. Prologue

_And I'm back! Here's a new one that is different from what I've written before-on either fiction. So I hope you enjoy and please, let me know what you think! ___

_Disclaimer: For the rest of the story, I do not own anyone you may recognize from the Plum world. _

**PROLOGUE**

It was hot. Too fucking hot. Ranger wiped the sweat from his brow and hunched back down over his rifle. Quiet laughter came through the earpiece he was wearing and he gave an answering chuckle, eyes moving ahead to spot his spotter. She glanced down and gave him a quick grin.

"Get your eyes back on the target. Let's get this thing over with so I can get out of the hell and into a cooler climate. Got it?" She flashed him a quick grin and turned her gaze back to the target and waited, wanting to give the signal to Ranger so that they could both get out of Columbia. They'd been here for the last month and was just able to finally get a hit on their target, Jose Salvador (a drug lord who was providing dope for the kiddies), yesterday. Today they were watching him watch the news and conduct business on the phone. Thing is, he always had someone with him. This was supposed to be a quiet and 'don't let anyone notice he's dead until you're gone' thing. Unfortunately, the target wasn't cooperating with them. Yet.

Ranger went silent, eyes trained on the target's head while he played a game of dominoes with his son. His mind started to travel back to the day before he left for this god-forsaken place. His last favor had been called in and he'd be finished with his contract. He didn't plan on renewing it. He found that he wanted 'someday' with Stephanie. He tightened his jaw as the memory flashed through his mind.

_He wanted to make that day special for her when he proposed. He went to Rossini's to pick up the order he called in. Glancing at the watch, he silently hurried the cook. He wanted to be able to spend time with Stephanie before he had to leave for god knows how long. After glancing at his watch again, laughter reached his ears. He ignored it until a flash of brunette curls caught his attention. He turned his head and saw Stephanie sitting with Joe. A diamond sparkled on her left hand. He turned and left. That night, he boarded the plane. Not caring if he came back or not._

Ranger was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the bushes move to his right. He ignored it, thinking it was just a squirrel or rabbit. He looked back to the house and frowned when he didn't see Salvador. He was about to ask Kelsey what was going on when he felt the cold steel of a gun barrel press itself to his left temple. He stilled and glanced up, coming face to face with one Jose Salvador. So that's where the bastard went. Damn.

"Well well well. What do we have here? I knew I heard someone speaking out here and decided to come to investigate. What I'm wondering, however, is how you could've missed the speakers that surround this house. Not a very good assassin are you? Now…" His words were cut off as blood seeped from the hole in his forehead. Kelsey dropped to the ground by Ranger and glared at him.

"Dumbass! Weren't _you_ supposed to check out his security? _How_ could you have missed the speakers??!" Ranger rubbed his head and sighed. No way did he want to tell her he missed the speakers, and the target moving, because he had been thinking about Stephanie. Again. Jumping to his feet, he walked away. Kelsey followed, grumbling about her 'dumbass forgetful partner who almost got himself killed'. He chuckled slightly and went to where he stashed his pack, pulling out the two-way radio.

"Chief. We're finished." It was time for him to go home. The diamond on Stephanie's hand flashed through his mind again. It was time for him to forget about Stephanie Plum.


	2. Chapter 1

_Here's the first chapter ladies!...and gents? Have fun with it and don't forget to review!! Again, thanks for the kind words on this fic. ___

**CHAPTER ONE**

_TWO MONTHS LATER…._

"BOOM!" Stephanie sighed as she watched her POS car go up in flames. She sat on the side of the road, grumbling about her misfortune. It seemed to her lately that everything went wrong. This was the third car she lost to her skip in the past two months. She and Joe had broken up, again, and she didn't think anything short of a catastrophe would get them back together. Her mom was crying "Why me?" and secretly attending AA groups that Frank had enrolled her in. Grandma Mazur thought that a hoot and the whole town eventually knew of the "secret get-togethers."

The sound of sirens broke her thoughts and she groaned at what was coming. Joe Morelli. The bane of her existence. He was the first person to usually show up when her car, or her, went up into flames. Stephanie didn't want to deal with him right now, but she knew she wasn't that lucky.

Before Joe could reach her, a black Bronco pulled up. She gave a mental dance of joy and prayed that whoever it was would get her out of there before Joe reached her. The engine cut off and Lester jumped out of the driver's seat and went to head off Joe while Bobby hunched down in front of her, checking for injuries. He prodded a tender area on her arm and she let out a low hiss before she snatched her arm away from him and cradled it to her chest.

"What the hell you tryin' to do Bobby? Put me in a hospital?" His eyes darkened and he suddenly stood up. She stared at him in confusion and her eyes widened when she saw what he intended to do. She let out a shrill shriek and began pleading with him not to have her taken to the hospital. He ignored her and picked her up, carrying her to the waiting ambulance where Jamie-yes, they were good friends based on past encounters-was waiting for her.

"Heya Steph! Long time no see. Thought you'd be back within a few days, not a week. Must be a record for you." Stephanie gave another hiss from her current place in Bobby's arms and snarled when she was dumped on the stretcher. Crossing her arms, she waited for Bobby to say something.

"Well, what are you planning to do? Force me to go to the hospital? You can't do-" Her words were cut off when Bobby jumped into the ambulance and glanced at Jamie who was closing the doors. When they clicked shut, Stephanie managed to find her voice and began sputtering about having a choice in the matter. Bobby raised his eyebrow at her and she glared back, finally shutting up. They reached the hospital and the doors opened. Bobby got out before Steph and held out his hand so he could help her down. She refused it, pushing it aside, before jumping down herself. She glared at Jamie, who had just joined the group, and stalked inside to the receptionist. She had patients looking away and nurses stopping in mid-step with the dark looks she was giving everyone. The receptionist handed Stephanie her form to be filled out and told her to go to her room-it literally had Stephanie's name on it-and wait for her doctor.

X-rays were conducted and Stephanie was fitted for a cast. Apparently an exploding car equaled bones breaking where Stephanie Plum was concerned. Luckily, for her, it was only one bone and the cast would be gone in six to eight weeks. This earned the doctor some…words.

"What the hell do you mean that I can't chase skips while in a cast?! How in the fuck am I supposed to earn a living? How about this, we'll trade places for the six to eight weeks I'm out of commission and _you_ can chase my skips down for me while _I _sit around and issue orders. Well?" The doctor glared at Stephanie and stalked out the door, on his way to clock out and hit a bar. He needed to get drunk. Bad. Stephanie always had that effect on him. Poor doctor.

Stephanie had just gotten off the examination table when the doors opened and her mom stalked in. _Great, just what I needed to round out a perfect day._

"Yes mother?" Hellen glared and stuck her hands on her hips, mouth pinched together in a tight white line.

"How could you Stephanie? Why are you still doing this job? I mean look at you! This is the third car you've blown up in two, _two,_ months! You're in the hospital, again, and you aren't even dating Joseph anymore. Why me?!" Stephanie sighed and looked behind her mom and gave a slight smile when she saw Lester and Bobby leaning against the doorjamb.

"Come on in boys. I'm going to assume that you're my ride back to my apartment. Am I right?" Lester smiled and Bobby gave a slight smirk.

"Uh Stephanie. What about me?! I'm your _mother_! I am perfectly capable of taking you home myself. Why-" She was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone. Everyone checked their phones to see if it was theirs. Fortunately for Steph, it was her mother's phone. Turns out Valerie was stuck on the side of a road with a flat and needed someone to pick her up. Hellen, being who she is, told Valerie to 'hold on for a minute' and left the room without saying good-bye to Stephanie, who in turn sighed and flopped back onto the bed. Bobby grinned and came to stand above her.

"Come on Bombshell. We're busting ya out of here. There's something we need to talk about anyways." They piled into the bronco idling on the curb and pulled out. Stephanie didn't notice anything unusual until she noticed they weren't going to her apartment.

"Uh guys…my apartment's thataway." Lester looked into the rear view mirror at her and grinned.

"We know Bomber, but Tank wants to see you. You see, we kinda called him and told him about your latest adventure. He wants to talk to you." _Great. Just what I wanted. Another Merry Man on my trail. _

"Do you guys know what he wants to talk to me about?" Bobby grinned evilly and cackled.

"Nuh uh Bomber. You ain't getting that out of us. Tank wants to tell you himself." Stephanie groaned and banged her head against the side of the car. The day just couldn't get much worse. Not.


	3. Chapter 2

_So, here is the second chapter! Hope you enjoy! ___

**CHAPTER TWO**

Stephanie was still fuming when the bronco pulled into the garage. Jumping out of the truck, she glared at Bobby and Lester before stalking to the elevator and jabbing the 'up' button. She heard a door open and looked to her right. She caught a glance of Lester slipping behind Bobby into the stairwell and glared.

"Fucking show-offs." When a hand came down on her shoulder, she jumped and turned, giving a shrill shriek. Her hand was pushed against her chest, probably trying to keep her heart in its place. Tank was standing in front of her, holding his sides and crying from laughter.

"Dammit Tank! Why can't you make any noise?! You're a freakin' hulking…guy! There _is_ a reason you're called Tank. A guy your size _should_ make some noise when walking!" Tank grinned and slung an arm across her shoulders, leading her onto the elevator. He closed the doors and pushed the button for the fourth floor. She tried asking him what he wanted to talk to her about, but she kept getting the same answer, "Wait until we're in my office."

Yea. Right. She could last that long in suspense. Uh huh. Tank must have seen the thoughts going across her face because he let out a bark of laughter. She finally gave up, crossed her arms,-as best as she could with a cast on her arm-and glared at the doors in front of her. She glanced up to the camera and gave it the 'Burg glare before flicking it the bird, sending Tank into hysterics again. She knew the guys were watching and getting a kick out of her misery.

The doors finally dinged open and she stepped off the elevator. She saw Bobby and Lester sitting at their desks with satisfied grins adorning their faces. Tank took hold of her good elbow and guided her past the many cubicles lined up in a row to his office on the other side of the room. After stepping in, Tank closed the door and went to sit behind his desk.

"Have a seat Stephanie. I don't bite. I promise. Lula would have my ass in a sling." His grin made her wary, but she took the offered seat and started running through scenarios in her head. A few minutes passed in complete silence and she looked up to see Tank watching her. His dancing eyes and raised eyebrow gave away his amusement. The little smile that graced his face didn't help either.

"So, ready to hear what I have to say or do you already have the situation worked out?" Stephanie glared at him and waved her hand in the air.

"Get on with it Tank. The suspense is killing me." Tank's face grew serious and he sat back in his chair before entwining his fingers together under his chin. Stephanie started fidgeting around and looked everywhere but at him. Tank sighed and leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Stephanie. I want you to do something for me. Okay?" She glanced at him nervously and gave a slight nod. Tank smiled and leaned back, pulling some papers out of his drawer.

"I want you to start living at Rangeman, working full-time at Rangeman, and getting the training you need-whether it's at Rangeman or not. You're starting to frighten all of us with the increase of accidents you seem to be having. Not to mention that everyone, but you, can get into your apartment without a key. Besides, I know that business is bad right now at Vinnie's and the pay isn't that great. Working at Rangeman will give you a place to stay that's secure. Face it Steph, everyone, but you, can get into your apartment without a key. That's not safe, especially with your life. Besides, I know that business is bad right now at Vinnie's and the pay isn't that great. Working at Rangeman will get you health insurance and at least a steady pay check. So, what do you say? You in or not?" Stephanie sat silent for a few minutes, contemplating his words.

"Before I choose, let's get something straight. Okay? _No one_ goes in my apartment without my expressed permission. I keep my current car. No company car-"Tank broke in with a grin.

"Uh Steph? Did you forget that working full-time at Rangeman entitles you to a company car whether you like it or not." Stephanie glared at his interruption and continued ticking items off on her fingers as if he didn't speak at all.

"Lula is my partner. No ifs ands or buts about it. And, I'll get my training from someone else. You guys have too much of an interest in me to not hurt me when needed. I know someone that will do it. Do we have a deal?" Tank slowly nodded his head after careful consideration of her words.

"Then Mr. Tank, it looks like you have yourself a new employee. Where do I sign the papers?"


	4. Chapter 3

_Sorry it's a bit late! School's caught up with me and dumped a huge load of work. Eww…hope you enjoy! ___

**CHAPTER THREE**

Lester and Ram showed up at Stephanie's apartment as she was giving Dillon her key. She met them in the stairwell-if you're wondering, the elevator broke, again-as they were carrying boxes labeled 'shoes' to the waiting trucks in the parking lot.

"Geeze Beautiful! You do you have enough shoes? This is the second trip we've had to make just for them." Stephanie glared at Lester and then at Ram when he started chuckling.

"At least _you_ didn't have to shop for them and drag them around the mall with you. Do you _know_ how exhausting that is?!" Lester wisely didn't say anything and just continued down the stairs. Steph went up to her apartment, lost in her own little world. She had just finished her mental grocery list when she reached the open door.

Walking in, Stephanie looked dazed. Instead of it being the cluttered mess it usually was it was…bare. Sure, the furniture was still there but the wall had no pictures and her electronics were gone. The only thing that was the same was Rex in his cage, sleeping in his soup can. She walked to her bedroom and looked at the organized chaos surrounding her. Boxes were everywhere. Some were full of clothes while others were half-full of cosmetics and hair stuff. Ram came in behind her and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"So hun, you ready to get out of this place? Maybe get somewhere that doesn't have a puke orange 70s retro bathroom?"Steph laughed and gave Ram a quick hug.

"Yea Ram, I'm ready. Maybe I'll get fewer break-ins in my new place." She turned to cast a frown on him and Lester who had just came in. "At least I better. Correct?" Lester and Ram grinned before grabbing more boxes to haul out to the truck. She turned to pick up the garment bags lying across her cover-less bed and followed after the guys, ready to move into her new place.

It took them only another hour to move Stephanie from her crappy apartment to one of the better apartments at Rangeman. Lester and Ram left Stephanie with a pile of boxes scattered throughout the space and hauled ass before they were roped into unpacking things. She glared after them as the door slammed shut and turned with her hands on her hips, deciding where to begin.

She had gotten half-way thru the boxes when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Tank standing on the other side with a duffel bag in his hands. She motioned him in and closed the door after him. Tank stared around him, taking in the process of unpacking things. A turned back to Stephanie when she cleared her throat. She motioned him to sit on the couch and went to the refrigerator to grab a couple bottles of water.

"So, what's up Big Guy?" Tank grinned at her nickname for him and unzipped the bag. He began pulling out cuffs, a stun gun, pepper spray, taser, and a gun with ammo. Stephanie raised her eyebrow at him and motioned for him to speak.

"Well Steph, this is obviously your new supplies. I thought that you might want to try a different gun than the one you now have. This one is lighter and easier to handle. Not to mention smaller so it can fit anywhere. Want to go down later to try it out?" Stephanie nodded at him as she picked up the gun to inspect it. Just as she was fixing to speak, chaos could be heard coming from the hall outside. She and Tank looked at each other before going to the door and opening it. Bobby's hand stopped in mid-knock and stared at Stephanie with watchful eyes. Lester and Ram were standing behind him with Hal and Cal in the background. Stephanie glanced around worriedly before looking back at Bobby.

"What's going on Bobby? Why is everyone standing outside my door like this?" Bobby cleared his throat and looked away while mumbling something. Stephanie stepped closer and placed her fingers under his chin to bring it back around to face her. He sighed and stepped closer before giving her a hug. He kept holding onto her while he gave the news, not knowing how she would take it.

"Steph, hun, Ranger's back." Stephanie started smiling and tried to pull away from Bobby's hug. His next words had her leaning back into him and holding on.

"He brought back a wife with him, love."


	5. Chapter 4

_Sorry I'm late! I actually had it written on paper…and promptly forgot about it with projects and an essay. So, here it is and chapter five just has to be fine-tuned and typed! Hope you enjoy. ___

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Stephanie's world faded to black and the guys jumped forward to catch her, but she ended up in Bobby's arms. He gently carried her into her room and laid her on her bed. She started to check her vitals to make sure she was okay and shot a look to the other guys and told them to get out of the room and quietly shut the bedroom door behind them.

Tank led the guys into the living room and paced in front of them, hands clasped behind his back and head bent forward in concentration.

The banging on doors caught their attention and they looked at each other, trying to debate what to do. An insistent pounding came from the front door and Tank quietly moved to it and opened it. Cal stood in the doorway looking at him with wide eyes. They widened even more when he saw Bobby, Lester, and Ram standing behind Tank.

"What do you need Cal?" Cal moved inside and Tank, again, shut the door, this time locking it. Cal looked around with wild eyes which finally landed back on Tank's.

"Where's Steph? Dammit, _tell_ me she's not here." Tank looked at Cal in confusion until they slightly cleared with dawning comprehension.

"He wouldn't. Damn Cal, quit playing games with me and get to the point." Cal sighed and sat heavily on the chair.

"Tank, man, Ranger's on the warpath. He checked in and wanted his usual updates. Someone let it slip that Stephanie moved out of her old ratty-ass apartment and into one of these apartments. He stormed off before anyone could tell him that she now worked here and that's why she's staying in the apartment. Tank, we _have_ to get her out of here. The boss-" His words were cut off when Steph's door opened and she walked out with dried tears on her face. Bobby walked out behind her with his hands clenched into fists and his blank face on. He gently led her to the couch and sat down before pulling her down beside him. She immediately curled into him and tried to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. Lester sat down on the other side of her and gently rubbed her back.

"You okay Beautiful?" Steph slowly smiled at him and nodded, blinking back the tears clinging to her lashes. She was fixing to verbally reassure him and the guys when the locks on her door tumbled and the source of her tears stepped into the room, taking in the scene around him. Hal was behind him mouthing apologies to Steph. She nodded at him and took a deep breath before turning back to Ranger.

"Well _babe,_ how you been doing? I see you've moved from Morelli to my guys. Who's next? The entire Trenton PD?" Stephanie gasped with hurt and pulled out of Bobby's arms and away from Lester to run to her room, collapsing on her bed when the door slammed shut behind her. She heard the low angry voices coming from the living room as tears quietly spilled from her eyes and left trails on her cheeks. The slamming of the front door startled her and she cringed slightly before burying her head back into the pillow and let the sobs take hold of her. The door to her room opened quietly and she stiffened before she relaxed, registering the unique Axe that only Lester wore.

"I'm sorry Beautiful. I didn't know he'd be a total ass to you. Tank and Bobby called him to the mats. Hopefully he'll need Bobby's expertise. Then he'll be left to care for his own wounds that bastard. Anyways, do you want me to stay with you for a while?" Steph slowly nodded her head and snuggled into the warmth that appeared at her back. Her last thoughts before sleep claimed her was the idea that the day couldn't get much worse. Boy, was she wrong on that one.


	6. Chapter 5

_Okay, here is a bit of a longer chapter to make up for chapter four. And it's early! –or on time depending on how you want to look at it. Review and I hope you enjoy! ___

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Stephanie woke a few hours later to realize her furnace had left her and the moon was high in the night sky. She rolled over and stretched, loosening the muscles in her body. Rolling out of bed, she started towards the kitchen, but paused when she heard the low mumbles coming from her living room.

"Tank, what are we going to do? Ranger wants her gone. Yesterday gone. He's the boss and no one can change his decision. Hell, I'm not too sure that it's entirely his decision. I'm thinking the new bitch on the block Kelsey made him a few ultimatums." Ram's voice died out and silence hung in the air. What he said made sense. Why would a wife want her husband's ex-lover (even if it was only once) living under his roof?

Stephanie opened the door and stepped out, chin high and spine straight with pride. She headed to the freezer and took out a pint of Ben & Jerry's and grabbed a spoon before joining the guys. Sitting down in the space Bobby and Ram made for her, she popped the top off the ice-cream carton and began spooning chocolatey-chip goodness in her mouth.

"So guys, since bitchy Kelsey wants me out, I'm not leaving until I'm told to leave and I have a pink slip in my hand. So, what do you want to do? I think I'm going to get in touch with a buddy of mine for the training I promised to get. So, I'm going to tell you guys good-night and head over to Stark Street. Ciao." Steph quickly headed to her room and shut her door on their stunned faces.

It took them a few moments before her words made sense to them and then it was chaos. Bobby and Lester banged on her door, demanding that she open it and explain herself while Tank was on the phone barking orders to Hal, warning him that Stephanie better not leave the building or else. Poor Cal and Ram were still sitting in their seats, trying to mentally change Stephanie's mind before Tank called in the National Guard and pulled strings to keep her homebound.

Stephanie grinned to herself as she threw a pair of sneakers, shower essentials, and a change of comfy clothes in a duffel bag and quickly dressed. She walked out of her closet in a pair of stretchy stone-washed jeans with strategic rips, a pair of leather boots, and a black halter top that spelled _Babe_ across her chest with pink rhinestones. She threw her curls in a quick high ponytail and swiped on some gloss and mascara before throwing said items in her bag and opened the door. Bobby and Lester stepped back and took in her outfit.

"Whoa Beautiful. You do know you're going to _Stark Street_ at 10:45pm, right?" Stephanie arched her eyebrow at him (she could finally do it after spending hours of quality time with her mirror) and nodded her head.

"Yea Lester. I know where I'm going. Now, what you don't know is that I have someone watching my back." She turned to the room and they could see her new Smith & Wesson tucked into the band of her jeans. She turned back around and laughed at their surprised faces.

"Boys, I'm not stupid. I know how, and when, to use a gun. Plus, the boys on Stark Street won't mess with me. A skip took a shine to me and happens to be very, let's say _influential_, when he gives orders. Standing orders are that no one messes with me unless they want to mess with him. I haven't had trouble yet." With that little bombshell, oh the irony of it, she quickly stepped around them and snagged her purse and keys. She ran from the room and down the stairs, knowing that they wouldn't think that she would willingly take them. She hit the ground running. Turning the corner, she ran into Hal and gave him a quick kick to the gonads, sending them north. As he doubled over in pain, Stephanie ran past him, shouting apologies over her shoulder.

Stephanie safely, and successfully, made it out the door and jumped in the bronco that she had "borrowed" keys to. Her car hadn't come in yet. She sped out of the garage and cruised down the street before coming to a screeching halt in front of the office before leaning down and disengaging the GPS tracker. Her cell began to ring and she searched in her bag for it, finally finding it at the bottom next to a pack of gum. She grinned in triumph and popped a piece into her mouth as she contemplated the number displayed on the screen. She shrugged and turned it off before dropping it back in the bag and turning the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life and the SUV peeled out of the lot.

Stephanie knew that the time was coming when she needed to get training. That time was now. It was time to let _everyone_ know what she could do.


	7. Chapter 6

_Here it is! There's been a dull lul in my classes so I thought that I would get this one out before it picked back up again! Hope you enjoy! PS: Ranger warning. I don't think _anyone_ will like him and I don't see him improving unless it's at the very end. Sorry BABE lovers…this is all MM time.___

**CHAPTER SIX**

Ranger stood at the window on the seventh floor and looked out at the calm street. His mind went back to earlier in the day when he had shown up with Kelsey. He could tell that his men didn't like her. At all. Oh, he knew why they didn't like her and it pissed him off. They didn't like her simply because she wasn't Stephanie.

His fist banged against the wall and he leaned his forehead against the cool panel of glass, trying to calm down. He sighed and turned, absently looking at the changes Kelsey had already made. There were pictures handing up, candles lit up everywhere, and a blanket thrown over the back of the sofa. Hell, there were even fresh flowers sitting in a _pink_ vase on the coffee table.

The squealing of tires drew his attention back to the streets and he raised his eyebrow at the bronco that was speeding out of the garage. The phone on his hip began to ring and he pulled it off, frowning at the number. He immediately grimaced and touched his jaw, carefully testing it. Bobby and Tank had beat his ass for what he did and said to Steph. They hadn't wanted to hear anything from him. All they wanted to do was kick his ass and put him in a stretcher. They nearly did until Tank calmed down and bit and pulled Bobby back. They both gave him a final punch to the gut before leaving the mats and headed back upstairs. Probably to comfort Stephanie. Bastards.

"Yo." Tank's voice came over the other end and made Ranger slightly stiffen in anger. He still couldn't get over the fact that his best friend took him to task over a woman who just slept with everyone and played them like yo-yos.

"Stephanie just left the building. She's heading to Stark Street and, guess what _boss_, it's basically your fault. Now fix it." Tank hung up the phone and turned to Hal who was sitting in front of him on the couch in his office. He shook his head at him and leaned against the wall.

"Hal, man, you know you'll never live this down right? First it was a stun gun, now it's a knee. What next, a puppy?" Hal glared back at Tank and crossed his arms.

"Dude, that knee should be registered as armed, dangerous, and illegal. Hell, matter of fact, _she_ should be registered as a hazard to everyone's health." Tank grinned and began to move towards the door when his phone chimed with the incoming text message.

_Bomber's GPS went off-line at the office. She's gone._

Tank flipped his phone shut, face paling. He turned to Hal and glared.

"She just went off-line. Get up to Ranger's apartment and tell him. Now."

Ranger was looking back out the window when a pair of slender arms slipped around his waist. He felt Kelsey lean against him and mentally sighed. He turned in her arms and pulled her to him, landing a toe-curling and bone melting kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, he smiled down on her, taking in her flushed look. He chuckled and leaned back down to give her a quick kiss.

She grinned at him and started to snuggle back into him before remembering what she wanted to talk to him about. She sighed before pulling back and sitting on the couch, pulling him along with her.

"Ranger, why is she still here? I mean, from what you've told me all she does is use you for your money, cars, and men. Now it's for a job and a place to live with an around-the-clock maid and cook. Do you honestly expect me to live here with her? Ranger, if you still want her, then I'm gone. Choose, me or her." Ranger opened his mouth to answer when someone started pounding on his door. He got up to open it and heard Kelsey sigh behind him. He opened the door to find Hal on the other side, fear in his eyes.

"Boss, Bombshell went off the GPS. What should we do? Follow or not? We've tried calling but all she does is hang up the phone or it goes directly to voice mail." Ranger hesitated and looked over at Kelsey's grim face. He turned back to Hal with a blank look in his eyes.

"Nothing. She's made her choice. No one follows her unless they decide they don't want their job anymore. Now, good night." The door shut with the finality of his statement in Hal's face. Yes, Stephanie Plum made her choice and she could deal with the consequences. She wouldn't be getting help from him or his company again. Ever.


	8. Chapter 7

_Yes, I know I'm late. Good reason. This chapter was friggin hard to write! Lol, but hopefully it's longer. Please review and let me know what you think! ___

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Bobby's heart nearly stopped when he saw Stephanie pass out the first time. His eyes turned red in anger as he caught her, careful not to hurt her anymore than she already was. When he placed her on her bed, he took note of the men hovering around, anxious to find out if she was okay. A glare and a few threats later had them reluctantly leaving the room so he could check Steph to make sure she was going to be okay.

He sighed in relief when he felt her steady pulse. He leaned back from her and continued sitting on the bed by her hip, unconsciously rubbing slow circles on her tummy.

His mind went back to the first time he saw her. He didn't let the guys know that he had seen Stephanie when she worked as a lingerie buyer._ Damn, could she pick it out._ He wanted her when he first saw her and even more now that he knew her.

The pain in her eyes when she was told of Ranger's marriage made him want to kill the one who put that look in her eyes. His mind drifted out for a few moments, thinking of all the distractions he had to work with her. It took everything in him those nights to not snatch her over his shoulder and carry her out of there, skip be damned.

Bobby felt Stephanie start moving around and he turned slightly so he could see her when she started to wake up. Her eyes slowly blinked open and she looked around in confusion. Her eyes landed on Bobby and the events of the past hour came rushing back. Tears began burning against her eyes and strangled sobs emerged from her. Bobby groaned and pulled Stephanie up and against him, pushing her head to his shoulder. He buried his face in her hair and rocked her back and forth, trying to comfort her. It was twenty minutes later when she began to calm down.

Bobby leaned back and looked at her. His thumbs came up to wipe the last of her tears from her face and gave her a light kiss on her forehead.

"Come on honey. Let's go back out and get this day over with." When Bobby pulled Steph from her room, he looked at the guys and let the rage he was feeling show in his eyes. Tank tightened his jaw and Hal moved from the couch bobby was walking to.

Bobby nodded his thanks to Hal and sat down, pulling Steph to him. His lips slightly curved when he felt her snuggle closer to his side and curl around him, her arms around his waist and face in his shoulder. He saw Lester coming over and tensed. He felt the frown that came across Stephanie's face and relaxed slightly as Lester sat down beside her and began rubbing her back. Her face came up and looked at Lester, trying to not let her tears show.

Bobby heard Lester ask her if she was okay and gave a small snort. _Yea dude, she's peachy keen; just like everyone is when they find out that the person they love has gone off and married someone out of the blue. Idiot._

Bobby came out of his musings when he heard the click come from the door. He slipped his gun out of the holder and clicked off the safety while pointing it at the door. Stephanie moved closer to him and his arm came around her and tightened. The door opened and the devil walked in. Bobby lowered the gun and clicked on the safety before placing it back in the holder attached to his belt.

Stephanie tensed as Ranger walked into the room and turned her head from him so he couldn't see the tears he put on her face. Bobby watched Ranger closely, debating on whether or not to move Stephanie to her room. His eyes narrowed at the mocking expression on Ranger's face. The words coming from his mouth pissed him off and sent Steph running to her room crying. He jerked his head toward the door, his eyes not leaving Ranger. He heard Lester go to the door and knew he was sitting in front of it.

Bobby slowly stood up and noticed Tank doing the same. They both approached Ranger, reaching him at the same time. Ranger looked back and forth between the two, amused at the sight of half is core team standing up to him.

"So _ladies_, how many of you is she screwing? I mean one night was enough for me. Do you guys share her like you do with the whores you pick up at bars?" Bobby snapped. His punch landed in Ranger's stomach. He went to punch him again, but Tank held him back. Bobby snarled at Ranger and kept trying to get to him. Ranger straightened up and smirked at Bobby.

"So I take it you're her flavor of the week?" Bobby growled low in his throat and tried to lunge for him again. He fought Tank for a few minutes before raising angry eyes to Ranger.

"The mats. Now. I call you out." Tank grinned and released Bobby before landing his own punch in Ranger's face. Ranger continued standing while Tank smirked at him.

"And I call you out directly after Bobby's done with you. _Boss."_ Ranger nodded his head and walked toward the door before turning to Lester.

"You wanna fight me too? I mean it seems you're also screwing her." He turned to Hal and Ram before Lester could answer.

"What? You guys going to sit there all night or are you gonna defend the _lady's_ honor too?" Hal and Ram grinned at him before leaning back against the couch and lacing their fingers behind their heads. Ram shook his head and grinned.

"No, I think they can hurt you enough for all of us. Don't forget to call your _wife_ when they're done beating your ass so she can take you to the hospital." Ranger smirked and didn't answer as he walked out the door and took the stairs down to the gym. Bobby and Tank followed him, eager to beat him to the ground.

The doors to the gym slammed open and they immediately began taking off their weapons and boots. Bobby reached the mats first and bounced around to warm up, waiting on Ranger to reach the mats.

The first punch flew from Bobby and Ranger was dancing around, waiting for an opportunity to strike back. He landed a punch to Bobby's ribs and jumped back. They kept fighting until one drew blood. Bobby had the honor of busting Ranger's nose.

Tank had already rid himself of his weapons and stepped onto the mats for his turn. He politely waited until Ranger straightened up and wiped the blood from his face. The dance began again, same rules as the first. Ranger won this round. Barely. Both had bruises forming but no bones broken-except Ranger's nose. Ranger left the room first after getting his weapons and boots while Tank and Bobby gathered their things. Tank headed to his apartment to clean up while Bobby went to his.

A nice hot shower later showed that he had a bruise forming on his ribs and a black eye. A split lip finished off his new look. He walked back to Steph's apartment and grabbed a beer from her fridge before heading to the couch. Hal and Ram waved their hellos and went back to watching the football game they had playing on the tv. Tank showed up moments later and jointed them for the game. Stephanie's door inched open and Lester slipped out, quietly shutting the door so Steph wouldn't wake up. He dropped into a chair and started watching the game with the rest of the guys. It was silent for the next half hour until Lester got fed up with the lack of speech.

"So did you break a bone, spill blood, put in him a stretcher? What the hell happened?!" Bobby grinned at him.

"No. Yes. No. In that order. The end." Tank grinned at Lester and continued watching the tv. Lester groaned and leaned back into his seat.

"Whatever dudes. Just shut up and watch tv." Hal grinned and started talking about Kelsey and got the conversation going. Apparently while Bobby and Tank were in their apartments cleaning up, Ram got a call from Woody who told him that Ranger had called down to tell control that he wanted Stephanie pulled from payroll, etc. Of course Woody hasn't done it yet because their isn't a legitimate reason to fire Stephanie. Hell, she hasn't even started working yet." Hal continued talking while Bobby leaned back in his seat and his mind drifted to space. Woody was right. There was technically nothing Ranger could do to fire Stephanie because she could sue him for everything. There was no reason to fire her. His mind came back to the present when Hal started to theorize on why Ranger was behaving the way he was. He thought that Kelsey was behind everything, including wanting Stephanie gone.

"Well, now that I think about it, Ranger…" Ram was cut off when the bedroom door opened and Stephanie stepped out. They continued watching her as she went into the kitchen and returned with a tube of ice-cream. She sat down and silence once again reigned as everyone went back to watching tv, so it was a surprise when Stephanie started talking. They zoned out a touch, immersed in the game, until she mentioned Stark Street. Lester had to act stupid and ask if she was crazy. Idiot, everyone knows you don't say that to a girl. The conversation ended by Stephanie leaving the room and Hal running downstairs to intercept her.

Bobby started seeing red, but was quickly distracted when the door opened again and Stephanie stepped back out. He watched, almost stunned, as she bypassed everyone with a few words and headed out the door. Bobby rose and walked to the window that looked out over the street.

A few minutes later he saw the bronco pull out of the garage and squeal down the road. He sighed and banged his head against the window. Apparently Hal failed to keep her inside. Again. He sighed again and turned from the window.

Ten minutes later Tank came running thru the door of the apartment like a bat out of hell. He came to a stop in front of Bobby and Lester and began rambling. Lester hit him in the shoulder and Tank slowed down.

"Now, how about repeating that Tank?" He nodded and held up a finger. He took a couple of deep breaths before trying again.

"Stephanie went offline. I sent Hal up to Ranger for directions." Bobby grew cold and slumped down in the chair behind him. Hal pushed open the door to Steph's apartment and took a deep breath, knowing what was going to happen. He grimaced as all eyes swung to him. He pushed the door closed and leaned against it, preparing for the shouts he knew was coming. Tank raised an eyebrow and motioned for Hal to speak.

"Tank, Ranger said don't do anything. That she made her choice and could deal with the consequences herself. He also said that anyone who went after her could consider themselves as fired from Rangeman." The room was silent as everyone took in what Hal was saying. Ram stood up and pushed Hal out of the way as he walked out the door and slammed it. Hal sighed and rubbed his head, trying to ward off the headache he knew was coming. Tank was the first to actually speak.

"You mean to tell me that Ranger basically said to let her get herself out of whatever trouble she got in, even if it meant her life?!" Hal nodded and everyone in the room broke out cussing. Bobby stood and walked to the door that Hal was again leaning on. He quickly moved as Bobby turned back to Tank.

"I quit Tank. I'll find some contract work somewhere. I'll move my things out by the end of the week." Lester stood and followed Bobby to the door.

"I'm with you Bobby. Let's go and try to find Steph." Bobby and Lester walked out the door. Tank growled and followed them up, taking the stairs to the seventh floor. He quickly fobbed himself in without knocking and slammed the door open. He stomped into the room and smirked at the sight of Kelsey holding a gun on him.

"Where's your husband?" Kelsey raised her eyebrow at him.

"What's it to you?" Tank snarled and pushed by her, entering the bedroom. He smiled at the closed bathroom door and kicked it in with a bang. Ranger raised an eyebrow at him. Tank growled. _What was it with the fuckin' eyebrow thing with everyone anymore?!_

"Man, what the hell were you thinking when you gave the orders to not let anyone go after Steph?!" Ranger continued to dress, ignoring Tank completely. Kelsey stood leaning against the door and smiled.

"Maybe he gave the orders so that bitch would stop draining his money and resources. All she does is use and abuse." Tank looked at her in disgust before turning back to Ranger.

"So what? You're now going to let _her_ speak like that about Steph? Man, when you married her you got whipped. Fine, I'll stay here only because I need the money. For right now. Bobby and Lester already quit and don't be surprised if others follow them. Don't expect anyone to accept this thing you call a wife. Stephanie is a good friend to us. She doesn't know us. Basically, she stays out of our way or we'll walk. Bye _buddy_." Tank walked out the door and slammed it shut.

*

Stephanie cut the engine of the bronco and got out of it in front of a well-known gang hang-out. She smiled and walked to the guy leaning against a wall. The name Blue Bloods was gratified above his head.

"Hey Killer. Where's my buddy?" He grinned and jabbed his thumb in the direction of the house.

"He's been waiting in his room for you Sugar. Go right on in and have fun." Stephanie smirked at him before going inside. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Oh don't worry. I will."


	9. Chapter 8

_Okay, I'm a day late and it's a bit short. Sorry! Anyways, here is chapter eight and I'm working on chapter nine…after I post this. Read and review! _

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Stephanie moved thru the door of the house and dropped her bag on the chair beside the entrance. Bryan looked up from the tv and nodded to her, holding up a beer.

"'Sup baby doll? You here for the boss?" Steph smiled and snatched the beer from him before continuing down the hallway.

"It's for me to know and for you to…not to." She walked thru the door that led to the basement laughing. She groaned and started climbing down the ladder with the half-full beer clenched in one hand. She knew she was going to need it.

She dropped the last foot and looked around smiling. She moved off a couple of feet and looked around. When a hand came around her throat she smiled.

"You really gonna choke me Dequan? I mean, you know I'm your favorite girl." Laughter came from behind her and the hand around her throat shifted to give her a one-armed hug around her waist.

"Hey little one. What you doing here so late? Don't you have any sense? Just cuz I gave you my protection doesn't mean nothin' to some around here. Damn. Who's gonna break my neck for this chica?" Steph laughed and turned to give him a tight squeeze.

"Don't worry Quan. I didn't tell anyone who I was going to and the fools around here are too scared of you to tell anyone who asks who protects the Bombshell Bounty Hunter. Duh. Besides, Ranger came home today with a wife and wants me gone. So, I have to get training to earn money. Tank also wanted for me to train anyways. May as well kill two birds with one stone, right?" Dequan laughed again and looked her over.

"Damn girl. You've been crying like hell. Look like it too. Want me to take care of that asshole and his bitch?" Steph snorted and moved to take a seat on one of the many benches that decorated the high-tech (ish) underground gym.

"No, but thanks anyway. That's my job when I'm done training wid you and your boys. Can you? Train me that is?" A laugh and a flash from a lighter and the smell of smoke came from his direction.

"Are you actually going to work with us on this baby? Cus if you're not, you'll be wasting my time no matter how much I adore you. Now, you gonna work wid me?" Steph smiled and walked over to him.

"You bet your sweet ass I will. Now, what ya gonna throw at me?" The gang leader laughed before turning on the lights and stubbing out his cigarette. He walked over to the built-in intercom and held in the talk button.

"Yo, Bry. Get your ass and Jay's down here. Little Miss needs a favor. Pronto ladies." He removed his finger from the button and looked at her again.

"You working out in _that?!"_ Steph grinned and looked up to the ceiling.

"Well, my bag is upstairs. It has my clothes in it. Wanna get it for me?" Dequan raised his eyebrow at her and grinned, amused at her attempt to not have to climb the ladder again.

"Sorry love, if you want to change, you have to do it in a bathroom. Which is upstairs. So, hurry up and change before the boys drop in." Steph glared and stomped over to the ladder before quickly climbing it.

Dequan sat down on a bench and began thinking about her request. He knew she worked at Rangeman. And he also knew he was going to be dead when a certain someone found out that she was hanging around him and his boys.

_Oh yea. Bobby is going to_ murder_ me. And me being his only cousin. Yea, right. My ass is grass._


	10. Chapter 9

_I'm _so_ sorry for the long wait. Good news, however, is that I'm done with the semester and have a full month to work on this story and continue re-writing another one of mine. So, hopefully, I can have more chapters posted of both quicker. As for those wishing this would be over around New Year, it would take a miracle. So, enough said. Read and I hope you review! _

**CHAPTER NINE**

Lester had barely reached Bobby's car before he left. Once his door slammed shut, Bobby gunned the engine and took off, not waiting for Lester to buckle his seat belt. He finally managed to buckle it and turned to Bobby.

"Damn boy. I'm worried about her too but you don't have to kill us before we find her. Geeze. So, where do you want to start looking?" Bobby turned to him and clenched his jaw.

"I don't know Lester. Not yet. I'm going to call in a few favors and see if I can track her down. You want to do the same?" Lester nodded his head and unclipped the phone from his belt and dialed a familiar number. He grinned when the person on the other end picked up.

"Dequan, my man! Quick question, do you have a chic with you named Stephanie? You'd know her when you saw her. Total bombshell. Yea, _that_ bombshell." On the other end, Dequan started grinning. He held his finger to his lips and motioned for Steph and Bryan to take a break. Stephanie glanced at him in confusion before walking-actually limping-to the bench where she put her towel and bottle of water earlier.

"Naw Lester. I don't have a girl named Stephanie here. Today. However, I _do_ have a little bombshell named Tiffany here. Wanna _talk_ to her?" Dequan laughed at the wide eyes and pissed off look he was getting from Steph. His attention turned back to his conversation when he heard Lester laughing.

"Hey buddy, I gots to go if ya know what I mean." Lester grinned and closed his phone.

"Well Bobby, your cousin doesn't have her. Now what?" Bobby sighed and continued looking at the road. He'd already made his calls and was trying to piece together something that one of his contacts had said. Needless to say, Lester's question was tuned out.

Lester glared and stared at Bobby, hoping that would make him talk. When that didn't work, he resorted to tapping his foot. He snorted in disgust. This was a clear sign that he was around Stephanie _way_ too much. Not that he minded it mind you. Bobby glanced over at him and twitched his lips into a semi-smile.

"Well Lester, I guess we start cruising streets and asking questions. Hopefully _someone_ has seen her. I mean, it's not that easy to miss her." Lester nodded and sighed. It would be a long night.

*

Stephanie walked over to Dequan and sat beside him, waiting for him to start talking. Five minutes passed in complete silence. The growing audience made her eye twitch. She received a raised eyebrow for that. It was the final straw and she snapped.

"Well, what the hell was that all about?! Why did Lester call you and who the hell is _Tiffany?!_" Dequan laughed and leaned over to pull her into a one-armed hug.

"Well honey, it seems like Bobby and Lester are looking for you. To keep them from coming over to check for themselves, I basically told them that I had _company._ Steph nodded and stood up to walk over to Bryan. She grinned and caught him in a hold he had shown her earlier. Dequan smiled and watched the two, yelling out advice now and then, changing holds and explaining them at other times.

The next hour went like this with amusing scenes thrown in to spice things up. The last one was what prompted Dequan to end the training session. Bryan had put Stephanie into a hold that she couldn't get out of. By then, she was getting frustrated and decided to play dirty. She grabbed him and twisted. He howled like a wolf and dropped to the floor, folding up into a fetal position. Stephanie smiled and stood back, daring him to get back up for more. Dequan walked over to them and cringed at the painful expression on Bryan's face. He held out a hand to him and had it nearly bitten off in the process.

Stephanie smirked and walked over to her water and drained it. She glanced back and saw Bryan picking himself off the floor very carefully. Stephanie actually sighed and readied herself to offer an apology, hoping her head would still be attached at the end. Bryan backed away from her as she started over to them. Stephanie sighed and let a mental grin slip into place.

"I'm sorry Bryan. I didn't mean to hurt you too much, just enough to make you let me go. Forgive me?" Bryan cautiously nodded and headed over to the ladder and carefully climbed it, groaning every few steps. Stephanie stood watching him and turned to Dequan when he walked over.

"You know that you should call Bobby and Lester right? I'm sure that they're pretty worried by now." Stephanie sighed and nodded her head. She knew that she had to make the call, but was already dreading every second of it.

*

Bobby slammed his hand on the wheel in front of him, snarling in frustration. Lester watched him with a bored expression on his face.

"You do know that we're getting nowhere right? Maybe we should try calling her cell phone again?" Bobby cut his eyes to Lester and bared his teeth.

"Do you _not_ think that I haven't thought of that already? You know as well as I do that she won't pick it up. Now, where to next?" Lester sighed and started to answer when Bobby's cell phone started going off with the 'Wonder Woman' theme song. Bobby practically snatched the phone from the dash in front of him and almost broke it when he flipped it open.

"Where the _hell_ are you Stephanie Plum?! You've got me going nuts trying to find you. Now, answer me dammit!" Stephanie smiled at the tone of his voice and started talking calmly.

"Now now Bobby. You _have _to calm down. Remember your blood pressure." Bobby snarled into the phone and growled when he heard Stephanie's soft laugher. Lester sat beside him, amused from the conversation he could here. Stephanie decided to give in and tell him a kernel of truth.

"I'm already on my way out the door. I'll be back at the apartment in about ten minutes. Will you go back now and quit prowling around Stark Street. You're starting to scare some people. Please?" Bobby sighed and closed his eyes.

"Alright. Just come to my room when you get in so I know you got back. I also want to check you over and make sure that you didn't get hurt. Got it?" Stephanie laughed and told him that she'd be there as soon as she got in. Bobby flipped his phone closed and turned the truck around to head back to Haywood. He glanced over to see Lester's smirking face.

"Not a word Santos. Nothing." Lester grinned and wisely kept his mouth shut. They reached the building in record time. Lester carefully exited the truck and stretched, working the knots out of his back. Bobby stayed seated, debating on whether or not to wait for Stephanie there or in his apartment. He was startled when a knock came from his window. He looked out to see Lester's smiling face.

"What?" Lester grinned and rocked back on his heels.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to give you a heads up tho. You do know that if you're still sitting out here when she pulls in she'll have your ass for not trusting her word right?" Bobby frowned and opened the door, hitting Lester in the gut in the process. Bobby grinned and headed to the elevator, pushing the button for the fourth floor. He heard Lester grumbling behind him as he pushed open the door leading to the stairwell.

"You do know that you could've held the door for me, right?" Bobby shrugged and opened the door to his room, shutting it in Lester's face. Oh yea. Stephanie was in for it when he saw her. Right now, he was pissed off enough to maybe, just maybe, tan her hide for the stunt she pulled. Her ass was his.


	11. Chapter 10

_So, here is the next chapter! Hope it's sooner than you expected! _

**CHAPTER TEN**

Stephanie pulled into the Rangeman garage 10 minutes after the first ten minute marker that she gave Bobby. _Oh well, _she thought, _he'd get over it sooner or later. It's not like I've been out partying all night long. Nor is he my father._ She started giggling to herself, laughing at the image she had of Bobby being a father. A first aid kit would probably be the first thing his kids would learn instead of walking.

She was cut off mid-giggle when the stairwell doors slammed open and Bobby stomped out. He leaned against the elevator doors with his arms crossed and glared at her still sitting in the car. Stephanie raised her eyebrow, actually both but who's counting, at him and stayed sitting in the car, locking the doors. She smirked at Bobby who began to tap his foot on the concrete floor. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the locked doors and slowly straightened up. Stalking towards her, he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and hit a button, automatically unlocking the doors. Stephanie stared at him in shock and quickly punched the 'lock' button again. Bobby snarled and hit the 'unlock' button again on the keypad. They continued playing this game as Bobby stalked over to the car.

He hit the button once more and was quicker than Stephanie. He had the door unlocked and opened before she could open her mouth to let out a high-pitched squeal. Bobby grinned evilly before leaning against the open door.

"And how exactly, pray tell, did you plan to get away from me in a locked car when you know that everyone has a master keypad?" Stephanie gulped and shrugged her shoulders before reaching to the seat next to her and grabbing her duffle bag that held her workout clothes. She pushed past Bobby and headed to the stairwell. She turned to meet Bobby's shocked face and grinned.

"Well Doc, since you have a master keypad, you can lock the Bronco up for me right? As you can see, I'm all fine and dandy. Night!" Stephanie grinned and quickly turned to start running up the stairs to the fourth floor and her apartment. Bobby growled and raced after her, pinning her to the door before she could get it open. He took the key she held in her hand and stuck it in his back pocket before leaning back. He looked into her angry eyes and sighed before stepping back.

"Look Steph, I'm just worried about you okay? All I wanted to do was check to make sure you were okay and ask where you'd been. Is that too difficult?" Stephanie sighed and stared into Bobby's worried eyes.

"I'm sorry Bobby. It's just that everyone has been adamant about me getting training and when I finally do, they're suddenly worried about _who_ is training me. Can you just know that I'm safe and trust this person with my life?" Bobby sighed again and ran his hand behind his neck before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out her key.

"Here Steph. Have a good night." Bobby turned and started walking back to his door when she stopped him. He glanced down at the hand on his arm and looked up to see her eyes searching his.

"Bobby, what's wrong. Don't say nothing because I know it's something. Come on, let's go to my apartment where we can talk without ears." She nodded her head to the door in front of them and he turned to see Lester standing at the door. A quick glare sent Lester back into his room, though he would probably be still listening to the door. Bobby nodded his head at Stephanie and allowed her to lead him back to her room. She pushed him onto the couch before going into the kitchen and coming back with a couple cans of soda. He grabbed both and opened them before handing her back one. Her eyes widened in surprise and then she shrugged, not about to question his manners. She sat in the corner of the couch next to him and curled up, waiting for him to start. Bobby stared ahead as he began.

"Ya know Steph, I don't even know where to begin. Everything is so fuckin' jumbled up right now that I don't know which way is which. You frickin' do that to me chica. Ever since you began working here, you've caused everything to turn upside down. You've done this to not only me, but to the other guys too. Every last one of them would kill if need be for you, just to keep you safe. You want to know why?" Stephanie stared at him, trying to figure out where this conversation was leading and not really enjoying the road her mind was traveling. She slowly shook her head at him in answer. He sighed and looked down before looking back up at her.

"Stephanie, in one way or another, we all love you. You've brought laughter into this building and changed everyone. Hell, we even get desert now and again." Stephanie interrupted him by laughing and he mock glared at her until she became quiet again.

"Do you understand what I'm getting at? I'm worried about you because I love you. How, I don't know yet. Just know that I do." Stephanie sat stunned, shocked at what he had just revealed. It couldn't be true. Could it? Bobby sighed and decided to give up for now, knowing that she needed time to wrap her mind around what he had just said. Deciding this, he tried to venture down another avenue.

"Now, want to tell me where you've been?" Stephanie smiled at his persistent question and slowly shook her head 'no'.

"Now now Bobby. I've already told you that I can't tell you for the simple matter that the one who's training me doesn't want you or anyone else to know. All I can say is that they're very protective of me and wouldn't let _anything_ happen to me. Okay?" Bobby hesitated before he nodded his head and sighed.

"Alright then. I'm going to head to bed. Got an early morning and want to get in some gym time before my shift. I'll talk to you later. 'Kay?" Stephanie nodded and stood up to see him at the door. Before he walked thru, she placed a hand on his arm to stop him. When he looked down at her, she smiled and raised herself on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for looking out for me Bobby. I won't forget it and I promise I'll try to stay out of trouble. Night!" Bobby smiled at her and gave her a hug before leaving the apartment and walking down to his. He stopped at the door and turned around, raising an eyebrow at Stephanie who was still standing in the door. She blushed and hurriedly shut the door and leaned against it.

_Oh boy. What am I getting myself into? I know they'll not stop with a simple '_I'll be careful'_. Gonna have to watch my step for now on. Now…what was this about all the guys loving me?_ Stephanie halted the rambling going on her head and shook it. _Nah. Couldn't be true. Could it?_ Stephanie sighed again and turned the lock on her door before heading to her room to take a very hot shower and climb in her bed for a good night's sleep. Knowing her, tomorrow would turn out to be a day in hell. Literally.


	12. Chapter 11

_So, sorry for no updates last week, life was _very _hectic around here. But, here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy because things are gonna pick up the pace after this one. Maybe it'll be easier to write too…. _

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Stephanie woke to pounding on the door and groaned, burying her head under her pillow and wishing the person away. She wasn't stupid. She knew it was only 6 o'clock in the morning. Hell, even the roosters weren't out yet. She heard the door creak open and pulled her head up, glaring at the person standing in the door.

"Do you know the concept of knocking and _waiting_ for permission to come in Brown?" Bobby grinned at her and pulled the bag around from behind his back.

"Well bombshell, if you don't want these, I guess I can take it and my un-polite self out the door. Whatcha gotta say bout that?" Stephanie glared at him again and sat up, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"Fine dammit. Sit on the bed and there better be coffee included." Bobby grinned and stepped out the door for a moment and re-entered, holding a thing of Dunkin' Donuts coffee to her.

"Thought this would go good with the donuts I brought you. Boston Crème and Chocolate Sprinkles right?" Stephanie grinned and held out her hands.

"Gimmee." Bobby laughed again and sat next to her on the bed and handed her the coffee cup.

"Here ya go sweet pea. Now, which first, Boston or Chocolate?" Stephanie grinned mischievously up at him.

"Yes." Bobby grinned and they shared their breakfast in silence. Stephanie laughed when she heard the rooster crowing from the coo-coo clock that she had in the kitchen.

"See, now it is a reasonable time to be awake." Bobby laughed and handed her another donut.

"Whatever you say bombshell. Whatever you say." They both laughed at that and finished their donuts and coffee soon after.

"Now if you don't mind, Mr. Brown, I'd like to get ready so I can get this day started. What do you have planned today?" Bobby cleared his throat and looked over her head, not staring her in the eyes.

"Well Steph, ah, you see, I don't really have a job here anymore. There was a certain _debate_ last night over job positions and I sorta lost. In my opinion, however, I won." Stephanie looked at him and narrowed her eyes, certain there was something he wasn't telling her.

"Exactly what was the debate and how did you lose?" Bobby laughed nervously and turned from her, not allowing her to see into his eyes.

"Bobby." He sighed and shook his head, knowing he was going to regret telling her.

"You see Steph, when you went off-line last night, you had all of us worried. Hal went up to Ranger to see what he wanted done and he basically said that if any of us did anything we could consider ourselves out of a job. Me and Lester lost our jobs when we went after you. We have to be gone by the end of the week. So today, we are going apartment hunting and putting an ad in the Mercs-R-Us magazine." Stephanie stared at him, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. What she saw in his eyes pissed her off.

"You're not playing are you?" Bobby shook his head 'no' and sighed, looking away from her and rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it Stephanie. It's not like we thought we were going to retire from here when we were old and feeble. Just when we had enough to cover ourselves. And we do, we just do this because we enjoy the work. So don't go getting uptight over it and costing yourself a job, got it?" Stephanie glared at him and turned around, stalking out of her apartment without answering him.

She went down to the Control Room and ran into half of her problems. _Great, just what I needed this morning. What can go wrong now. Oh wait, she's opening her mouth. Guess I spoke too soon huh?_

"Well, ain't it the bitch who thinks she's all that because the guys let her play the 'big boy game', even though all she does is get them hurt and has no clue what she's doing. How you doing today? Still upset because Carlos finally gave up on you?" Stephanie growled and drew back her fist before letting it fly. Unfortunately, Kelsey (new bitch on the block) caught her fist but didn't expect what was coming next. A knee in the gut made her bend over and grab at her midsection, making her unable to stop the fist that bashed her nose in.

"Don't underestimate me bitch. I'm not just some chic that you can order about and try to get the better of. I _will_ beat your ass and it's not going to be something simple like what I just did. Comprende?" A round of applause made Stephanie turn around and she saw the entire floor watching her, blocking the view of someone else until orders were barked from the rear.

"Plum. My office. NOW!" Stephanie turned and raised her eyebrow at Ranger, not frightened by his tone. Hell, she was already pissed off now, why not let him level-up with her? She snickered at sauntered past the boys on the way to the Master's Domain blowing Tank and Ram a kiss. Oh yea, life was good.

She plopped in the seat across from Ranger's desk and sat there, tapping her fingernails on the armrest and waited for the tell-tale snick of the door being shut and locked. When she finally heard it, she pretended to clean the dirt (not that there was any) from under her nails and didn't look up until she heard a throat being cleared. She looked up at Ranger and raised her eyebrows at him. She smirked when she realized he was trying to pull the 'I'm the master you're the servant' routine by sitting behind his big desk. He forgot, she knew him and knew every-almost-trick in his book. This was number two. It wouldn't get interesting until number five.

"Stephanie, you do realize that you _will_ be punished for that stunt you just pulled out there correct?" She raised her eyebrows at him and went back to cleaning her nails and spoke without looking up at him.

"Well, you see, that's really not right. I mean I wasn't on the clock and when I'm not on the clock, my time is mine, not the company's. I had a right to _defend_ myself from her verbal attacks. I just didn't feel like being verbal. I found that physical always works best. Don't you? I remember a few times where you thought physical was the best way to deal with me." Ranger narrowed his eyes at her and clenched his jaw in anger.

"You were on Rangeman property. Anytime you're on this property is my time and your conduct is also in question at all times. Off the clock or on, it doesn't matter. Do you understand me?" Stephanie ignored him and his jaw clenched harder. She noticed this and smiled, hoping he would have dental problems in the near future. That ought to put a damper on things. Her little devil laughed at that idea while the angel quietly snickered. Yes, she did love her conscience at times. Ranger clearly gave up and got right to the punishment.

"Now, since fighting is against company policy, you're on suspension without pay. You may leave now." Stephanie looked up at him and smiled. Stephanie smirked. Got ya.

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that whatever I do on my off-time is your business right? And that for 'fighting' I'm suspended without pay correct?" Ranger nodded and tried to figure out where she was going with this.

"Well Mr. Manoso, in that case I quit. You can have the fucking apartment and job and do with it whatever you frickin like to. Yea, I heard about the ultimatum you gave everyone. I hope that knowing I'm going to be living with Bobby and Lester pisses you off as much as your new wife- who, might I mention, you didn't even have the _courtesy _to tell me about. Yay, you can take this job and shove it. I'm gone." Stephanie got up from the chair and turned to open the door before his voice stopped her.

"I didn't dismiss you Stephanie. Sit your ass back down in that chair. We have a few other things, it seems, to get cleared up. For one, I didn't tell you about Kelsey because you didn't _need_ to know about her. Just like you thought I didn't need to know that you and Morelli got engaged. So don't go trying to judge me because you ain't got anything to judge." Ranger stared at Stephanie in confusion when she started laughing.

"Oh you fucking idiot. Me and Joe were never engaged. What made you think otherwise? Oh wait, maybe it was that time when me and Joe were in restaurant and on a date. Yea, I saw you, I just didn't think that you would mistake a diamond ring on my right hand from my grandmother as an engagement ring that, in all right, should be on my left hand for me to be engaged. I tried to call you when I got home but you ignored all my calls. I came by the office the next day and you were already gone. So, any conclusions you made from that day were on you. Not me. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going now. I have an apartment to pack up and I have to hurry so I can go apartment hunting with Bobby and Lester. Have a great life Ranger. I hope you know that you blew any chance you had of being in my life. Good bye." Stephanie got up and started to the door again and opened it, stopping before she left.

"Oh, and keep your bitch on a leash. If she gets in my face again, she won't like what's going to happen. All of you always underestimate me. Here's a warning, I've made a name for myself since you were gone. I've got protection not only here but on Stark Street with one of the most influential gang members around. Leave me the hell alone before things happen that you didn't expect." Stephanie stepped out and slammed the door behind her.

_1…2…3…SLAM!!!_

Stephanie grinned as she heard his fist punch thru the wall and turned to the elevators, running into a stunned Lester.

"Damn beautiful. What happened now? All we could hear was screaming and that's it. Wanna enlighten me?" Stephanie grinned and hooked her arm thru his, pulling him to the elevators.

"Well Lester, you see it went like this. His dumb ass went jumping conclusions, again, before he went _in the wind._ So, he married the bitch out of revenge and decided to try and tell me that all _my_ time spent on Rangeman property was _his_ time. Oh, did I forget to mention that he tried to put me on suspension without pay for punching his cute wittle wife when she got in my face? No, oh well. I did. So, in light of all these newfound facts, I told him to take his job and shove it. Oh…I also told him to choke on the fact that I'm moving in with you guys in your new apartment. Surprise! You and Bobby won't mind will ya?" Lester shook his head, chuckling at her and the irony of the situation.

"Oh no beautiful, I don't think he'll mind at all"


	13. Chapter 12

_Updates were non-existent these last few weeks (months?) but I hope to change some of that. So…starting with this chapter, let's see if I can get it finished before my summer break is over and I'm loaded down with more work. _

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

The elevator dinged open and they stepped in, oblivious to the curious stares that followed them. Stephanie turned to Lester, starting to go into shock over what happened in Ranger's office while he was fiddling with his cell phone. She kept replaying the conversation over and over in her head, soon continuing to the ensuing conversation with Lester. Here, she ran into a problem.

"Uh Lester, what did you mean about Bobby not minding at all? I mean, shouldn't he mind since I just suddenly invited myself into living with you guys? Wouldn't having me around cramp your style or something?" Lester grinned and was saved by the bell, literally. The elevator opened and she had to discontinue her 'interrogation' for the simple reason that the man in question was waiting for them.

"So Stephanie…I hear that I have a new roommate?" Bobby and Lester grinned at Stephanie, watching her impersonate a goldfish.

"How the hell did you find out already?" Bobby grinned again while Lester edged closer to his car.

"Well….you see, many years ago, some great minds came up with the idea of a cell phone. A great feature about this remarkable invention is the text application. You see, you can quickly send a text message to anyone, anywhere at multiple times. So, by the time you stepped out of the elevator, the whole building became aware of the fight between you and Ranger and the results. So, baby doll, I guess you're stuck wid us." Stephanie's face was completely red by this time and steam was billowing from her ears. She turned and found the object of her wrath.

"LESTER!" He grinned at her as he jumped into the car and revved it.

"Sorry love, gotta run!" The car screeched out of the garage and down the road as she waved her fist in the air after him. She nearly screamed as Bobby walked up to her and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on slugger. Let's go check out some apartments. I'll even let you decorate." Stephanie turned to Bobby with a glare and punched him in the arm, quickly regretting it as she shook her fist out.

"Dammit! Are all of you made of stone or what?" Bobby grinned and shrugged before walking over to his car and beeping it open. He held open the passenger door and looked over to her.

"Ya getting in or what?" Stephanie grumbled the entire way to the car and slumped in, letting him slam the door shut after him and crossing her arms into a pout. Bobby walked over to the driver's side door, chuckling the entire time. Starting the car, he turned to Steph.

"So….how quiet is this trip goin to be?" Stephanie cut her eyes to him and glared, flippin him the bird.

"Alrighty then. I get to choose the apartment, town, etc. Stark Street it is." He grinned and waited for the resulting blowout.

"What the fuck are you thinking? I have enough trouble in that place without _living_ in it. Are you insane?" Bobby grinned and turned left.

"Nah, just wanted to get a rise out of ya. Don't worry, we're goin to a nicer section of town. I promise."

The ride was silent as both contemplated their current situations. The ringing of a cell phone made them both jump and reach for their phones. Bobby grinned and flipped his open.

"Sup man?" Bobby's grin faded as he listened to the guy on the other end. Stephanie yelped and clutched the sissy bar as Bobby suddenly made a hard right. She held on as the speedometer reached 105 mph. She was about to lay into him when the car jerked to a stop in front of a burning building. She looked around and realized that they had ended up in front of Dequan's house. She screamed and jumped out of the car, not waiting for Bobby, screaming Dequan's name as she ran. She stopped at the police barrier and ducked under Carl's arm, running for the burning building. She was snagged from behind and turned to fight the one holding her before realizing who it was.

"Dequan! You mother fucker, don't you _ever_ scare me like that again. Got it?" Dequan sighed and pulled her against his chest, rubbing her back in soothing circles as Bobby came running up to them.

Bobby was confused and kept looking back and forth between the two, trying to figure out how they were connected. He was about to question Dequan, but was silenced with a shake of his head. Bobby looked on helpless while Dequan continued to soothe Stephanie whose sobs could clearly be heard over the sirens screaming around them. Dequan eventually lifted Stephanie's chin and looked her in the eyes, trying to gauge her comprehension level.

"Steph, baby, I'm fine. Okay? Me and the boys are fine. Calm down. Please?" The please shook her and she slowly nodded her head, turning to find Bobby staring at her. She gulped and her eyes widened, a look of guilt slowly creeping into her eyes. Bobby just smiled at her and turned to the closest policeman.

"Do you know what happened?" The policeman shook his head and turned back to the crowd, intent on keeping anyone else from crossing the tape. Bobby sighed and turned to Dequan.

"Cuz, what the fuck?" Dequan sighed and shook his head while shock and surprise registered in Stephanie's eyes. Before Dequan could speak, he was delivered a punch to the chest. He winced and rubbed his chest. _Damn that hurt._ He looked down and looked at a pissed off Stephanie.

"Damn girl! What the hell was that for?" Stephanie glared at him and turned her attention to Bobby.

"You knew where I was the entire time didn't you? I couldn't even fucking get away from you guys for _one_ damn minute without runnin into someone connected to you. Who the hell do you _not_ know?" Bobby shook his head at her and turned his attention back to Dequan.

"Hello?" Dequan sighed and shook his head.

"Man, I don't know. We just got here and the damn place was in flames. Thing is, we haven't had any trouble for months. We all jus damn confused." Bobby nodded and turned his attention back to Stephanie, no doubt knowing how pissed off she was getting.

"Stephanie, Dequan is my cousin. No, I didn't know where you were last night but now I feel better knowing where you were and who you were with." Stephanie snorted and turned to stomp over to one of Dequan's men. He and Bobby watched her and sighed before looking back at each other. Dequan grinned and punched Bobby in the shoulder.

"So…watcha doin wid my baby girl cuzo? Ya know she's mine and my boys right?" Bobby grinned and punched Dequan back.

"Nah man. She's mine and Lester's. She's gonna be livin wid us." Dequan's eyes widened and he slowly shook his head.

"Wat bout Ranger?" Bobby grinned.

"Wat about Ranger?" Dequan laughed and gave Bobby a typical guy hug, fist punchin and all.

"Damn boy. I hope ya know watcha doing." Bobby grinned.

"When have I ever known what I was doing? Seriously, this is Stephanie. _Nothin_ goes as planned." Dequan grinned and nodded his head.

"Yea, I know watcha mean. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if she was the cause for this burning building." Bobby froze and turned at the same time Dequan realized what he said.

"_DAMN."_


	14. Chapter 13

_So, realized I didn't have to re-write anything and decided to jump into Chapter 13. Enjoy! ^_^_

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Bobby shook his head and looked over to where Steph was talking to the guys, trying to gauge her reactions. He knew that she was pissed at him and Dequan, God knows why, and was hoping that she would cool down before they got back in the car together. She tended to be a bit…..wreckless….when she was able to snatch the keys.

Dequan looked at Bobby and smirked. The look on Bobby's face as he looked at Steph said it all. His cousin was in _luuuuuvvvvveeee_ and was helpless against it. He knew that Steph was still hurting over Ranger, that mother fucker, and he hoped that she wouldn't use Bobby as her rebound. When Bobby told him that she would be moving in with them, man did that sound messed up. He knew that Lester loved Steph too and was hoping that it would stay brotherly. He didn't really want to kick anyone's ass too soon if Steph was hurt. Again. He already owed Ranger and his bitch a beating whether Stephanie liked it or not.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the firefighter walked over to him. "Dequan?" He frowned and nodded his head, waiting for the fireman to continue. "I'm sorry but it seems as if the fire was started from inside. However, the peculiar thing about all this is that it was not an electrical damage. It seems as if the fire was purposely started from a match in a wastebasket. Do you know anyone that could have wanted to start this? Anything that might have changed recently to gain this kind of _attention_?" Dequan glanced back over to Steph and noticed that Bobby had joined the little group and had an arm slung over her shoulders, silently marking what was his. He smirked slightly before shaking his head and looking back at the fireman. Unfortunately, the fireman wasn't meeting his eyes because they were glued to Stephanie. Dequan narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat loudly, breaking the fireman's attention from Steph back to him.

"Is that Stephanie Plum?" Dequan's frown deepened and he nodded. "Has she been hanging around here long?" Dequan crossed his arms over his chest and didn't answer. The man across from him sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Ok, look. I know that Steph has these amazing powers to make friends with _anyone_ but right now I really need an answer. There's been talk that she has a new stalker recently and I was wondering if she was seen over here. This could explain why your place is suddenly in flames with no reason why." Dequan's jaw hardened and his chin dropped, hiding his expression from the firefighter briefly. He had heard the talk of the new stalker and was hoping that that was all it was. Talk. However, as the firefighter just stated, his house was on fire, probably lost for good since it wasn't called in until about 15 minutes after it started, and the only thing that had changed was Stephanie. Ever since she had started training at their place things had been...awkward…on the street. Whispers were spreading about Ranger, his new bitch, and what that might mean for Steph. The fact that she started hanging with Dequan and his gang more (not that he was planning on telling Bobby _any _of this) didn't help either. Although she had just started training here, she had been known to just randomly show up if she needed help or was just bored. Lately it seemed to be more and more often that her beautiful face was a decoration for the burning building. The sound of the firefighter clearing his throat brought Dequan back out of his thoughts. He sighed and ran a hand over his face before looking up at the man.

"Yea…you might be right. Seems like Steph has a new stalker. This just means that things are about to get a _lot_ more interesting." The firefighter shook his head and looked at Dequan with a look of dejection and resignation.

"I was afraid you might say that. Shall I make sure that we keep the ambulance on alert? I'm sure Jamie would skin us all if something happened to her favorite rider." Dequan gave a tight laugh and nodded. Yea, things were going to get a lot more interesting. Especially now that Bobby had staked his claim and from the looks on his guys faces, that claim was going to be challenged and challenged soon. Even if she didn't know this yet.


	15. Chapter 14

_Tada! I know, the chapters are super-short but I also know my attention span. If I try to do longer chapters right now I will probably not be updating in forever…again. So short chapters and more frequent chapters are better than longer and hardly non-existent chapters right? ;)_

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Stephanie sighed and looked over her shoulder at Dequan and saw him talking to the firefighter. With the tight look on his face and the frown pulling his eyebrows down, she knew the news wasn't good. The only question was, how _not_ good was it? She glanced to her left and saw Bobby surveying the area, as attentive as always. She sighed and looked back at the guys she was talking with and let her mind wander. She had noticed that things were a little tense with the guys lately, but just figured that it was random things going down on the street that had them worried. She never thought that something was leading up to a burning building.

She leaned against Bobby briefly before walking out from under his arm and over to where Dequan was left standing after the fireman walked off. "You ok buddy?" Dequan glanced down at Steph and gave her a tired smile before wrapping an arm around her waist and hugging her briefly. "Yea sweetcheeks, I'm good. You ok now?" Steph blushed slightly as she remembered how she had ran onto the scene of the crime (never realized how horrible that sounded until it was said like that). She nodded her head and wrapped her arm around his waist to give him a tight squeeze.

They stayed like that, looking at the building that was finally just smoking until they heard a throat being cleared behind them. They jumped slightly and looked behind them to see Bobby with a puzzled look on his face and a raised eyebrow. Steph smiled at him slightly and beckoned him to join them. He walked over and she wrapped her other arm around his waist and hugged him close without letting go of Dequan. Right now, she just wanted to be around the guys that she trusted most to watch her ass. For some reason, she didn't know why, but she had a very odd feeling that this was because of her. Again.

Unconsciously, her arms tightened around both men and they glanced down at her before looking back up at each other with a frown on their faces. They saw the annoyance, disappointment, sadness, fear, and anger run across her face before she got control of her emotions. They knew that she knew it was a good possibility that she was the reason for the recent loss of his building. What neither she nor they knew however, was who and why. That was something that they were going to have to find out before it became too late.

Lester was pacing back and forth in his apartment waiting on a phone call back from either Steph or Bobby. It had been _hours_ since he had left them standing in the garage and neither of them were answering his phone calls. Frankly, it was starting to worry him. He kept imagining everything that could be happening and he didn't know if they would need help or back-up because _some people_ don't believe in something called current technology.

The phone rang snapping Lester out of his daze and making him jump. He recognized the ringtone that was uniquely Steph's and snapped it up, answering the call. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS?!" Steph winced and held the phone away from her ear and turned slightly to Bobby with a half-smile on her face. He shook his head and walked away, leaving Steph to deal with an irritated Lester. He had seen him in a rage before and knew first hand that this conversation was not going to be a pleasant one. He chuckled slightly and shook his head silently wishing Steph good luck.

Steph glared at Bobby's retreating back and realized that he looked a lot like a chicken running away from the farmer with the hatchet. She sighed and turned back to the matter at hand. Lester was still screaming into the phone and she took a deep breath before attempting to break his rant.

"Lester…sweetie…Les…." She took the phone back away from her ear and glared at it before drawing a quick breath and letting loose a loud scream into the phone. She smiled in satisfaction as she heard his response…nothing. She put the phone back to her ear and listened to the silence on the other end.

"So ready to listen yet?" She grinned at the mumbled reply from him. "Anyways, we were on our way apartment hunting and Bobby got a call, did a _highly_ illegal U-turn, and we ended up on Stark Street in front of a burning building. Turns out that Dequan is Bobby's cousin. So, this is where we are. Now what the hell crawled up your ass and died to make you this paranoid?"

Lester sighed and frowned, bowing his head, before running his hand over his face and rubbing his head roughly. "Steph, sweetheart, we found something here at Rangeman. I think that it's best if you and Bobby came back here. Now." Steph frowned before looking for Bobby, finding him talking to Dequan. She tuned back into Lester's voice and frowned at the near hysteria that was taking it over.

"Lester, calm down. What did you find?" Lester sighed and winced, waiting for the chaos that was about to explode. "Sweetie…we found Rex." Stephanie laughed.

"Is that is? Seriously, I know he's in his cage. We brought him over. Remember? Wait…have you been in my apartment…again?!" Steph was starting to get pissed. Damn could she not even get any privacy in _Rangeman_ anymore?!

Lester sighed again. "No honey. He was found on the gate of Rangeman. Honey….he's dead. We found him taped to the gate with a note. Tank is having everything examined right now, looking for fingerprints, and all. I'm so sorry sweetie." Stephanie's world slowly faded to black and her phone fell from her limp fingers as she started hitting the ground. All she heard was white noise and Bobby screaming her name as she went down.


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Stephanie came back to the land of the living to all of Dequan's guys (including him) huddled around her while she was in Bobby's arms. It took her a minute to gather her wits and realize why everyone was staring at her. She looked up into Bobby's face and saw the horrible truth displayed on it and the tears started flowing. Dequan's mouth tightened and he looked into Bobby's eyes to see the same type of frustration that he was feeling. To know that Steph was hurting and they couldn't help her was the worst type of torture.

Steph's tears slowly started to ebb and she found a tissue being passed to her from Dequan. She blew her nose and cuddled closer to Bobby, only glancing up when she felt someone else enter the bubble that was created around her. Lester started down at her and his heart tore in half when he saw the heartbreak that was clearly displayed on her face. He swore that when he found the bastard that managed to make her like this, he would slowly torture him..or her…until they begged for death and continue to do it more.

Steph sniffled and finally managed to lower her legs to the ground to stand on her own two feet. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out before wiping her eyes and clearing her throat. She looked up at Lester and took another fortifying breath.

"Ok. What happened." At that moment, the boys couldn't have been more proud of her for pulling herself together and taking charge. This was a new Stephanie that they weren't used to seeing and they hoped that this new self would be able to take the news that was about to be dished out to her. Bobby wrapped his arms around her, not expecting her to shrug them off and move away from the boys to stand on her own. Lester smiled and proceeded to explain to her how he came upon Rex and the note. Steph shed silent tears as she heard about the state that Rex had been found in, not knowing that Lester actually skimmed over the most horrid of the details. She, as expected, demanded to see the note and Lester was fortunate to have a picture of it on his phone, saving him from Steph's wrath. She read over the note and paled even further.

Bobby was reading over her shoulder and shuddered at the message. It was apparent that her new stalker knew where Steph was living. And even more important, they were able to get into Steph's new apartment…at Rangeman..with no trouble. Meaning, it had to be an inside job. Only problem was that everyone was personally checked, verified, and seemed to love her like a little sister. They were all having trouble deciding who would be capable of harming a _hamster_ to get to _Steph_.

Steph was having similar thoughts. She was calm on the outside, however inside she was a wreck. She thought that she was safe at Rangeman but was finding out differently. First Ranger came home with _her_, then losing her car and moving into a safe place (so she thought), Dequan's home being burnt down, and now Rex. The emotional damage was enough but having to pile on the physical damage and mental damage was beyond her breaking point.

She gave a final nod of her head and started walking to the car she and Bobby arrived in. Waiting in the passenger seat, she bowed her head and let loose the tears that were pooling in the corners of her eyes. She vaguely heard Bobby enter the car, but refused to look at him. She was going over everything she was told, trying to figure out who could be behind these attacks. As much as she didn't want to believe someone in Rangeman was capable of hurting her, she knew that it was a high possibility that she couldn't ignore. The only problem was trying to figure out _who_ without tipping them off. That was going to be the difficult part.

Ranger was standing on the balcony, overlooking the skyline. He felt a pair of arms slip around his waist, but didn't turn to face the owner of them. We was fighting the urge to pull away, knowing it would cause questions and a fight.

"Carlos, what's wrong? You seem tense." Ranger sighed over the use of his name. He only let _certain_ people use it, and she wasn't one of them. However, he wasn't going to tell her this. He continued to ignore her and felt her sigh before she moved away. He bowed his head and heard his phone ring. He ignored it and let Kelsey answer it. She was good at talking on the phone whereas he wasn't. He heard the bite in her voice and looked up, curious as to what caused her sudden anger. He started to head over to her when she hung up on the phone. She turned to him, her anger obvious in her face.

"Your darling _Babe_ has more trouble. And she brought it here now. There's been a break-in at Rangeman."

_Okay, don't usually do end notes but I know what I said earlier about it being an inside job. So trust me, this is turning right and I didn't make a mistake about the break-in. You'll get more details next chapter ^_^ Hope everyone is enjoying._


	17. Chapter 16

_Hello dearies. Here is another chapter. I know that these are coming out short and fast, but please don't expect it to always be this way, fast that is. As you know from my update history, I have random bursts of quickness and then periods of silence. I'm hoping that I can finish this story at least before my life gets complicated again so keep your fingers crossed. If, however, this does not happen, I promise to not be silent as long as I have been in the past. Again, thanks for reading and your wonderful reviews! ^_^_

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Ranger ran down the stairs and slammed into a wall. He realized with a shock that he had not been paying attention to his surroundings, something he recalled bitching at Stephanie about, and ran into Tank. Tank was looking at Ranger with an eyebrow raised, waiting for a stumbling apology. Instead of what he was waiting for he got what he expected.

"What the fuck Tank?! Is this why someone was able to break into Rangeman? Because _you_ weren't paying attention?" Tank smirked and put his hands on Ranger's chest, pushing him back.

"Watch your tone _buddy_. Just because you can talk to the other boys like that and get away with it doesn't mean that the same can be said about me. You will _not_ talk to me like that, especially since you know that _you_ were the one that ran into _me. _ Now as far as the break-in is concerned, I don't know what the fuck is going on. I do know that Rex, Steph's hamster (remember her?), was fucking disemboweled and strung up on the gate like a fucking Thanksgiving turkey with a note promising the same for Stephanie if she didn't back off. Unfortunately, we don't know _who_ got into Rangeman and what, exactly, Steph did to piss someone else off. Now, if you will kindly get out of my way so that I can get some work done, unlike others that I won't mention, I can figure this out." Ranger stared stunned at Tank as he was pushed out of the way and watched his retreating back. He snapped out of it and realized the entire floor was staring at him.

"Don't you all have work to get done? If you don't I suggest you find something or start looking for a new job." Heads snapped back to computer screens as Ranger stomped off after Tank.

"Wao dude. I don't remember giving you permission to use Rangeman resources and taking up another item in my budget. Especially on someone that has no affiliation with this company. She can pay for these resources like everyone else that comes through this building." Tank looked at Ranger like he had just lost his mind.

"EXCUSE ME?! Did you _seriously_ just tell me that I, a _partner_, in this company am not allowed to use company resources on cases that _I_ see fit? Isn't it bad enough that you already lost Lester and Bobby? You're close to losing me too. And I'm sure that the stocks between Lester, Bobby, and myself _far_ outweigh your stocks. Until you are sole-owner of Rangeman you will _not_ tell me what I can and cannot do. Is that fucking understood asshole?!" Ranger set his jaw and glared at Tank, seeing that Tank had also locked his jaw. It looked like Tank would be winning this fight. Frankly, Ranger didn't care anymore. It was more about Kelsey and her anger than about anything else. He _really_ did not want to deal with her too on top of this shitty day.

"Whatever. Do what you want. Know this, anything you do that is outside of normal company policies will be coming out of _your_ paycheck. Am _I_ understood?" Tank tightened his jaw further.

"Crystal. Now move. I have someone I care about to protect. Could you ever say the same?" Tank smirked at the pain that flashed across Ranger's face, feeling only a small ounce of guilt, before Ranger stomped off to places unknown.

Lester, Steph, and Bobby had just arrived back at Rangeman, never accomplishing their initial goal of the day, apartment hunting. The boys didn't dare mention this to Steph, knowing that she would bite their heads off after the events of the day, not that she can be blamed for this of course.

"Steph, hunny, do you want to stay in one of our apartments tonight? I promise that you'll be safe." Steph sighed before nodding her head, knowing that she could never feel safe in the place she briefly called 'home' again.

"Yea , thanks. Bobby do you mind if I stay with you? Nothing against you Les, but I don't feel like hearing you snore all night." Lester chuckled and rubbed his head. He'd been told before that he snored, yet continued to deny it. He watched as Bobby's face momentarily lit up before his look of happiness was hid again from the world.

"Yea hun. No problem. I'll let you have the bed." Steph smiled faintly at him and nodded her gratitude. The boys walked with her back up to her apartment and checked out the damage. They knew that Tank had already done this but they wanted to do it again if only to make themselves feel better. They went through the apartment and then watched as Steph gathered her things for her sleepover at Bobby's.

Lester gave Steph a hug before going to his own apartment. "Steph, I know you have other things on your mind, but do you want to try going apartment hunting tomorrow?" Steph nodded her head and turned to Bobby, shoving him down the hall to his apartment. He and Lester shared a look over their shoulder, both knowing that this would be a tough night for Steph and even worse, a great temptation to Bobby. Lester just hoped that Bobby would keep control of himself while Steph was in this state of mind. However, if she needed comfort, who was he to judge?


	18. Chapter 17

_Sorry for the wait. Work has been royally kicking my ass recently. Alas, here is your next chapter._

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Bobby entered into the apartment behind Stephanie and slumped down onto the couch, watching as she went into the bedroom to set down her bag. He smiled at her slightly when she came back in and fell onto the couch beside him, cuddling under his arm.

"What the hell is going on Bobby? Why me and why now?" Bobby sighed and dropped his arm to wrap it around her waist, hugging her close.

"I don't know hun. I'm sorry but I really don't. But why don't we go to bed and try to get some sleep. Maybe in the morning things will be just a little bit better." Steph nodded her head and stood up. She turned to Bobby and saw him taking off his boots and staring at the couch. She knew that he was a little too big for the couch, but also knew that she didn't trust herself right now. However, she couldn't leave him on the too-small couch while he was giving up his bigger bed for her. She walked back over to her and held out her hand.

"Come on. Let's go to bed." Bobby looked up at her slightly confused. "Are you sure Steph? I don't mind staying on the couch." Steph shook her head at him and stretched her hand out further.

"Come on Bobby. You are giving up your bed for me, the least I can do is share it." Bobby smiled at her slightly and stood up, placing his hand in hers.

"Ok then, let's go to bed."

Steph woke to find herself wrapped around Bobby, her shirt riding up over her hip and his hand covering it. She blushed slightly and tried to move out from under his hand, only to find it tighten on her. She frowned and tried moving again and stopped when she heard him grumbling before bringing her back against his chest, throwing a leg over both of hers effectively trapping her against him. She narrowed her eyes when she heard him mumbling his name but then shrugged it off and cuddled closer to his warmth, falling asleep instantly.

Bobby woke up some time later to find Steph wrapped up in his arms. He smiled and pulled her closer, loving the feeling of her in his arms. His thoughts began to wander until he felt Steph begin to wiggle and stretch beside him. He tensed as he felt himself begin to harden. He scowled and tried to think of things that would turn him off...and quickly.

Steph slowly woke and stretched, slowly sinking back into her position next to Bobby, wiggling closer to his heat wondering when it had gotten so cold in his room. She tensed and stopped wiggling when she felt something pressing against her hip. She knew exactly what it was and blushed fiercely, unaware that she could cause this reaction from Bobby. Yes, she started to realize that they _had_ become closer over the months, but she didn't think they were this close. Last she had heard, he had a girlfriend stashed somewhere that he was serious about. She opened her eyes slightly to see Bobby staring back at her, the heat in his eyes intense. She smiled at him slightly, ignoring his hard-on.

"Good morning Bobby." Bobby smirked, realizing what she was trying to do. Because he wasn't the type of guy to take advantage of a beautiful lady, at least not the first time they innocently shared a bed, he let her ignore the situation.

"Good morning hunny. How did you sleep?" Steph noticed that he let her ignore the situation and had even backed off some from her so that she didn't feel him pressed against her so much.

"I slept ok, got cold but you decided to become a human blanket so all good." At this Bobby blushed slightly, amusing Stephanie further, and laughed.

"Haha yea sorry about that. I'm a cuddler." Steph grinned and was about to say something when she was cut off by a banging on the door. Bobby frowned and glanced down at Steph before detangling himself from her and grabbing a shirt on the way to the door. He grabbed his gun from the table beside the door and glanced through the peephole, putting the gun back down when he saw that their morning visitor was Lester.

He opened the door and ushered Lester in before shutting the door and locking it again. He turned to Lester and raised his eyebrows, waiting for Lester to say something. The staring contest went on for a few minutes before Bobby had enough.

"Dammit Lester, what the hell do you want?!" Lester smiled. He noticed how frustrated and tense Bobby was when he answered the door. He was only waiting to see how long it took for him to break.

"Oh nothing. It's just that it's after 10 and since we decided to help Steph, therefore terminating our employment and current living quarters, forcing us to search for a new place (something that was supposed to happen yesterday but alas didn't) that was decided to be done today…here I am!" Bobby glared at Lester, noticing the mischievous smirk on his face.

"Fine asshat. Let me get ready and get Steph up and moving. Be warned, she hasn't ate yet so you get the pleasure of feeding her." Bobby nearly groaned at his word phrasing when he saw Lester's smile get bigger.

"Bobby. You mean to tell me that Steph hasn't had her protein or vitamin D and C yet?! You know that she has to eat when she wakes up." Bobby dropped his head before turning around and walking back to his room, slamming the door in Lester's face when he tried to follow.

Lester moved back to the living room, laughing at the look on Bobby's face. He knew today was going to be stressful but god dammit he was going to make sure they found a place today. They needed to get Steph away from Rangeman quick and soon. Tank was making little progress in finding the culprit, hitting a brick wall each time. The video feed had been cut during the times when Rex was stolen from Steph's apartment, giving them no real clues as to who it had been. They only knew that there were no prints, no video, and apparently nothing suspicious that drew anyone's attention.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Lester knew that the ball was in the culprit's court. They only had to wait for it to be bounced and hopefully they would be there to catch it before it did damage. The only thing was, they had to keep Steph cooperative, sane, and safe in the meantime. None of these which would be easy. Lester groaned and rubbed his head, feeling the headache brewing already.


End file.
